[Rosemarry]

The problem is that they don't seem to accept external email addresses, at least not from common email providers like verizon. When I tried to change it to my verizon email address, it indicated that they do not allow using verizon.net addresses.

Microsoft is a strange beast, always aiming carefully and shooting itself in the foot. They act like they want people to use Microsoft Live, then create all sorts of barriers. This is a longtime Microsoft issue - Microsoft software is often incompatible with Microsoft's own systems, for example.